Obesity-related decrease in LCFA sensitivity seems to exist also
in rodents. Diet-induced obesity (DIO) shifts sucrose and corn oil
preference towards higher concentrations as compared to lean
controls in rats
[44]
. By using a combination of biochemical,
physiological and behavioral approaches, we found that (i) the
attraction for lipids is also decreased in obese mice, (ii) this
behavioral change takes place at the oro-sensory levels and (iii) the
CD36-dependent signaling cascade controlling the intracellular
calcium levels ([Ca
2
þ
]
i
) in taste bud cells is decreased in obese mice
[45]
. Because lingual CD36 is involved in the preference for fat, such
a dysfunction might contribute to the lower attraction for oily so-
lution found in these DIO mice (unpublished data)